The Epicure's Almanac or Diary of Good Living
February 18th : HARE SOUP
To insure a good tureen of this delicious soup, two hares are positively required. With this proviso it can be thus obtained :
Choose the youngest and tenderest of the two for the bouilli; a venerable tough old Jack makes a capital consommé. Let the aforesaid John be properly paunched, and cut into pieces, the head split in half.
Put these into a saucepan three-fourths full of water ; add to the meat a Spanish onion chopped fine, a couple of anchovies, four cloves, a blade of mace, a tea-spoonful of salt, and half that quantity of Cayenne. Set the saucepan on a slow fire,and let it simmer for at least four hours.
Meantime roast the other hare in the usual manner, until it is about half done, then cut it into joints, and the meat off the thighs or haunches, in large pieces ; put the head, spare bones, and stuffing of hare the second, into the saucepan containing hare the first,and let all simmer for another hour ; you may then strain off the liquor.
When the soup is required, put in the roast meat, with a tumbler of port wine , and warm it on a quick fire for about ten minutes.